The site on where the Garden Festival (now Festival Park) was situated, used
to be home to the old Steel and Iron works which used to run here in Ebbw Vale.
Following the closure and demolition of Ebbw Vale steelworks in the 1970s, thought
was given to the role that its derelict and industrially polluted site would
serve in the future. The site was replaced with slag heaps made from molten
slag from the remaining part of the Ebbw Vale Steelworks which eventually closed
in 2001.

In the 1970s when the country was under the Conservative Government,
it was realised that there were major problems in the country with cities becoming
run down and riots occurring. Michael Hesseltine, who noticed these problems
aimed to solve it, and therefore sent a team out to Germany, who are well known
for their festivals, to discover how they have recovered after the second world
war.

The team of leading financial people returned from Germany with
an idea of three national Garden Festivals: Liverpool, Stoke-On-Trent and Glasglow.
At this time, it was noticed by Brian Scully, the most senior member of council
in Wales, that Wales was being singled out by not being rewarded with a Garden
Festival. It was decided by the leader of the Welsh Local Council Association
and the Leader of Blaenau Gwent (both Brian Scully) that between himself and
the two massive power structures that he would fight for Wales to have a Garden
Festival. The country with so many closure of colleries and steelworks and
with high unemployment was the country that deserved to host at least one Garden
Festival.

Using his politican strength, Brian Scully politically embarassed
the Secretary of State: Lord Crickhowell (Nicholas Edwards), and challenged
his stewardship. This lasted for two years before the perminant secretary announced
a fourth and fifth Garden Festival - Gateshead and Wales (which was yet to be decided).
The criteria for a Garden Festival was 200-300
acres of land which is now a brownfield
site. Ebbw Vale had one of those to offer.

With a Garden Festival being planned for Wales, all 23 local
authorities were sent a letter inviting them to bid and produce a £10 million
business plan for the site. They had only six months to do so. At this time,
Brian Scully was now Mayor of Blaenau Gwent and therefore pushed forward with
his own county trying to claim the Garden Festival. To assist him with this,
a commitee was created of cross-parties. It was decided that although Blaenau
Gwent was under Labour control, all parties should be included for this to
be successful. Philip Weekes was declared the chair man while Brian Blake,
the managing director for Welsh Brewers, was made marketing manager.

This plan worked and made Blaenau Gwent part of the short-list
consisting of 19 local authorities. At this time, Brian Scully was no longer
mayor. In the 1980s, Blaenau Gwent made it to the short list again consisting
of only 6 local authorities. It was decided that the only way to win this was
to involve the community and show that the people of Ebbw Vale (as this was
the only place in Blaenau Gwent that met the criteria) actually wanted the
Garden Festival. People from various organisations were invited to join in
meetings and the plans were shared with them. This included leaders of local
clubs (such as football) from Abertillery, Blaina, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale and
the other surrounding areas.

At this point, Blaenau Gwent had to prove it could hangle a £60
- £80 million investment in the area. As the bidders become smaller, Cardiff
withdrew announcing plans of the bay area. Until this point, no councillors
believed that Blaenau Gwent could actually win, but now it was in the last
6 of possible winners, everyone started to belive. The local organisations
and clubs wrote letters to the organisers of the Garden Festivals and told
them how much they wanted this attraction in the area. All the local newspapers
supported Ebbw Vale in this bid including the Gwent Gazette; except the Western
Mail who supported the biggest competitor - Swansea.

Now the county had made it this far, words were starting to lose
meaning as no one could visualise this. Philip Weekes and Brian Blake found
a company in Bristol (Watershed Television Ltd.) who would make them a video
tape of the plan, costing £22,000, and show the people what was possible. When
it came to final moments and the inspectors came to study and evaluate the
area from the top of the Domen (Yr Domen Fawr mountain). At this point, it
was almost clear Ebbw Vale was winning by the words that were said. Lord Crickhowell
sat on top of the Domen and said that this was a "beautiful landscape". The
challenge was, at this height and with our weather, was it possible to grow
flowers? Due to this, Lord Crickhowell's wive demaded to see a local allotment
(located at the foot of the Domen near High Street in Briery Hill). She was
very impressed to see that it was possible.

Brian Blake, who was friendly with the local newspapers had a
chat to the editors of the Western Mail, who then later flipped their entire
story and supported Ebbw Vale over Swansea.

On November 19th 1986, it was announced that Ebbw Vale had in
fact won the bid for the last British Garden Festival, which would be called
the Garden Festival of Wales. In 1987, work began to sort out the slag heaps
generated by the old Ebbw Vale steelworks. With a budget of £8 million for
the land, big plans were made like a chair lift and a castle. Unfortunately,
this budget was stretched to £18 million which meant only a smaller castle
and a land-train instead of the chair lift.

And there you have it! The story (thanks to Cllr Brian Scully)
of how Ebbw Vale had won the bid, is a long but interesting story which not
many know. And it is believed that this web site, is the first and only written
version of this story.

The letter declaring Ebbw Vale the winner is on display in the
Civic Centre in Ebbw Vale.